Friday, January 14, 2005

Coalition Guest Column Encourages Unity Around 4th & Montaño Issue

A guest column by Chris Kenny, Vice Chairman of the Fourth Street & Montaño Area Improvement Coalition, appeared in the January 13, 2005 edition of The Albuquerque Journal under the headline "4th/Montaño Study Shot at Uniting City"
(http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/guest_columns/289399opinion01-13-05.htm). Due to space limitations, the Journal had to shorten the original letter. The full text appears here:

"On a recent Friday, without any notice to potentially affected residents or business owners, Mayor Martin Chavez, Councilor Michael Cadigan and Municipal Development Director Ed Adams stood on the Montaño Bridge and announced that the following morning city crews would begin re-striping nearly all of Montaño Road between Coors and Fourth Street.

Because the city has enacted several resolutions requiring that numerous infrastructure improvements be completed before Montaño can be re-striped, a state district court enjoined the city from proceeding, specifically rejecting the Mayor’s ambitious legal argument that the earlier Montaño resolutions were merely “advisory” and therefore not binding on him.

The Council has since passed (7-2) a resolution calling for an independent study of the Fourth and Montaño intersection. The Mayor has threatened to veto this measure and to move ahead with his own plans, including a city-directed study of Fourth Street. He will hold a public meeting on Thursday “to discuss the study of travel lane configurations on Montaño Boulevard [sic] between Coors Boulevard and Fourth Street.”

Following the Mayor’s lead, Councilor Cadigan plans to introduce a resolution that will nullify the city’s prior commitments regarding Montaño.

In the best interest of our city, we call on Councilor Cadigan and the Mayor to reconsider their approach.

A preliminary assessment of the traffic flow impacts that would result from four lanes on Montaño conducted by the Mid-Region Council of Governments (the federally-designated body charged with developing a regional transportation plan) concluded that travel times for many commuters, particularly those in Taylor Ranch, would actually increase unless there is a prior, substantial overhaul of the Fourth Street intersection. More recently, two prominent West Side leaders have publicly called for upgrades to the Fourth Street intersection prior to re-striping.

While we should not condone Councilor Cadigan’s attempt to shift traffic problems from one part of the city to another, the Mayor’s actions are even more objectionable. Unlike Councilor Cadigan, the Mayor was elected to serve the interests of the entire city. Instead, the Mayor’s commitment to deliver a four lane Montaño corridor to his West Side political base in anticipation of this fall’s mayoral election, couched under the pretext of “public safety,” has thoroughly clouded his judgment. Further evidence of this fact can be seen in his repeated attempts to mischaracterize the issue as a “City of Albuquerque vs. Village of Los Ranchos” or “West Side vs. East Side” confrontation. Such intimations are unnecessarily divisive and ignore the collaborative work that has been undertaken by hundreds of concerned Albuquerqueans on both sides of the river.

Equally troubling are comments made by Mr. Adams who has suggested on several occasions that there is only a minimal correlation between traffic flow at Fourth and Montaño and the negative economic effects on surrounding businesses. I do not profess to be an authority on the matter, but for the Mayor’s appointed “expert” to suggest this idea, coupled with the Mayor’s own statements and actions to date, reveals an administration that is either unwilling or unable to conduct itself in a competent, objective manner concerning this issue.

The administration also has done nothing to discourage the widely-held misperception that its currently proposed solutions for the Montaño corridor somehow will create a Paseo del Norte-like facility across Albuquerque. Whether desired or not, a simple examination of the number of traffic signals (at Coors, Fourth, Second, Edith, Renaissance, Culture Drive, and I-25) and driveways along Montaño reveals the fallacy of this misrepresentation.

Before we saddle ourselves with impractical, unsustainable solutions to this mounting crisis, we need objective data that only a thorough, independent analysis will provide. Such a study could be completed in months, not years. It should include the key elements of our Community Visioning Report (www.cabq.gov/council/communityvisioningreport.html) and should examine alternatives – such as utilizing Montaño to connect commuters with the planned commuter rail project or other similar mass transit options – that irretrievably will be lost if the Mayor’s current proposals are implemented. Together as a community we could then make intelligent, rational decisions that would benefit our city, now and into the future.

The Mayor has promised to support our efforts. He should act on that promise by initiating the type of thorough, independent analysis that has been recommended to him by the Coalition and that has already received the support of our state legislators, the city’s two leading newspapers, and a majority of the City Council.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! If you would like to be included on our mailing list, would like to volunteer to work on one of our subcommittees, or if you’d just like more information and you can't find it on this blog, please contact Steve Cogan, Chairman, at (505) 350-4513 or via email at 4thStreet@integrity.com.

P.S. - Help spread the word that great things are happening in the 4th Street & Montaño Area! Please forward information about this blog to those who might be interested. Thanks!

Our Goals

The 4th Street & Montaño Area Improvement Coalition includes concerned citizens, neighborhood associations and businesses devoted to making the 4th Street and Montaño area a better place to live, work and do business. The Coalition has organized subcommittees to carry out projects to implement the following four community goals, and the Coalition Executive Committee will encourage, assist and support successful, timely completion of both near-term and longer-term goals.

• Residential and business property values increase substantially over time.

Strategies and Objectives

To move toward the four goals that comprise the community vision, the Coalition has established the following near term strategies and objectives.

1. Increase community identity. Our objectives are to:

• Select a name to define our area

• Complete one successful subcommittee project under each of the four community goals. Examples:

• Traffic―advocate for rapid bus and light rail projects

• Identity―hold community festival or other event

• Pathways―evaluate one trailhead project

• Revitalization―host design charrette

• Complete a 5-year plan for all four goals

2. Galvanize political and financial support. Our objectives are to:

• Assure that the City of Albuquerque’s 2005 General Obligation Bond ballot supports substantial 4th Street & Montaño area improvements

• Build on positive relationships to secure additional Federal, State and City appropriations for area improvements

• Actively tell our story to government officials, neighbors, property owners, developers and the media so that they are each prompted to take actions that support our efforts

3. Complete key technical design studies. These include:

• Work with the appropriate government agencies to undertake a comprehensive traffic study of the Montaño and 4th Street corridors and intersection

• Complete a 4th Street & Montaño Area design charrette

• Complete an accurate assessment of existing pathways and their ownership

What Is the Coaliton All About and Why This Blog?

The 4th Street & Montaño Area Improvement Coalition was formed in 2003 by a group of concerned neighbors and business owners in the area bounded by Douglas MacArthur Road to the south, Solar Road to the north, 2nd Street to the east, and Los Poblanos Open Space to the west. We are commited to reversing years of infrastructure neglect and economic decline by transforming this historically and culturally significant region into a “jewel” within the heart of Albuquerque - an area that enhances the quality of life for all Albuquerqueans.

On July 31 and August 21, 2004, the Coaltion, with encouragement and assistance from the City of Albuquerque, brought together over 100 residents, government officials, and business owners in two "visioning workshops." Participants at these workshops framed a Community Vision for the 4th Street & Montaño Area (a .pdf version of the Community Visioning Report may be downloaded from the following site: http://www.cabq.gov/council/communityvisioningreport.html)and clicking on the "Community Visioning Report [pdf]" link. That Vision is the foundation on which the Coalition's ongoing work - including this blog - will be based.

The purpose of this blog is to continue the important exchange of ideas and information that will help make our Community Vision come alive! We encourage you to use this blog to provide input, identify resources, share ideas and give feedback. We will also post information on the blog concerning upcoming Coalition events, City Council meetings of relevance to our Coalition, and other time-sensitive information - so please be sure to bookmark this blog and check back regularly!

We ask that you limit your posts to those topics, ideas, or criticisms that will move our community forward. The 4th Street & Montaño Area Improvement Coalition welcomes input from all perspectives, including those that may challenge or disagree with the ideas being advanced by the Coalition. However, unconstructive, mean-spirited posts are not welcome and will be deleted.